Sondra Forsyth, Founder and Artistic
Director, began her in arts-in-education work in the 1980s when she was a Co-Director of the Huntington Ballet Theatre on
Sondra has served as a guest teacher for the American Ballet
Theatre open classes and on the faculty of the School at Steps on Broadway, the
SUNY Purchase Youth Ballet, the
TEACHING ARTISTS/DANCERS
Andrei Kisselev trained
in his native Russia and performed for several years with the legendary
Moiseyev Dance Company. He went on to join the cast of "Riverdance on
Broadway" and later toured with the show for five years. He received a
rave review in the New York Times for a performance with
Rebecca Kelly Ballet. Andrei holds a degree in education from the
College of Art in Vladimir, Russia. He is a Professor of Ballet at
Manhattanville College.
Yana Volkova
dances principal roles with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln
Center. Prior to that, she was a featured dancer with her husband,
Andrei Kisselev, in “Riverdance on Broadway” as well as the touring
production. Yana has appeared on television here and abroad and she has
extensive teaching experience. She was trained in the Vaganova Ballet
Method in her native Russia by Valentina Narozhnaya and she holds a B.A.
in Choreography, Ballet, and Character Dance from the Russian Academy
of Theatrical Arts in Moscow.
Nile
Jamaal Baker will graduate in May 2011 from the prestigious
Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Manhattan. He began his formal dance training as a
teenager in Detroit and went on to spend his freshman year as a dance major at
the University of Michigan. Nile spent the summers of 2007 and 2008 as a
fellowship student in the Alvin Ailey School's summer Intensive after which he
was accepted as a BFA transfer student. He has performed in Alvin Ailey's
"Landscapes" and Paul Taylor's "Runes" as well as in works
by other important choreographers including Elisa Monte, Donald McKayle, Francisco Martinez, Bradley Shelver, Scott Rink, Preston
Miller, Christopher Huggins, Edisa Weeks, and Peter London.
Laura Di Orio performs professionally with Lydia Johnson Dance
and the Staten Island Ballet. She has also danced with Cirque de Soleil, Albano
Ballet, and Roxey Ballet. Laura began her training at the Mill Ballet School in
Pennsylvania with Mark and Melissa Roxey. During summer programs at the Joffrey
Ballet School in New York City and in the Joffrey/New School University BFA
program, she studied with notable teachers including Eleanor D'Antuono,
Francesca Corkle, Trinette Singelton, and John Magnus. Laura has extensive
teaching experience for such respected schools as the Ailey Extension, Battery
Dance, and Arias Dance NYC. She holds a B.A. in journalism from Fordham
University and is a contributing writer for Pointe
Magazine, among other dance publications.
Cierra Cotton is a 2011 graduate of the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program in Dance. She has performed works by Robert Battle, Troy Powell, Elisa Monte, Francesca Harper, George Faison, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Christopher Huggins, Earl Mosley, Paul Taylor, Joyce Trisler, and Scott Rink. Cierra also performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s “Memoria” in 2009 and 2010. In September, Cierra participated in the Table of Silence Project with Buglisi Dance Theatre, which culminated in a performance on the Lincoln Center Plaza, in honor of the victims of 9/11. She is currently working with the Francesca Harper Project and has performed with Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, under the direction of Jamel Gaines. Cierra spent her summers training at the prestigious Rock School for Dance Education and Boston Ballet School. She has taught classes in ballet and modern to students of all ages and is currently on the faculty at the Downtown Dance Factory and an assistant/substitute teacher for the Ailey School’s Junior Division, Bounding Boys & First Steps Program.
Lauren Jaeger is a member of the critically acclaimed Buglisi Dance Theater, a
contemporary company that tours extensively here and abroad. She holds a BFA in
Ballet Performance from Marymount Manhattan College which she attended on full
scholarship. An alumna of the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance in Connecticut,
she is a past recipient of the Patricia Schuster Scholarship. Ms. Jaeger
appeared in numerous principal roles as a member of the Ridgefield Civic
Ballet, Bare Bones Dance Project, Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and for the
Danbury Music Centre's "Nutcracker." She is an experienced teacher
who has held faculty positions at Ballet Hispanico, Manhattan School of Ballet,
and Peridance.
Lisa Fitzgerald is a graduate of the Residency
Program of the Nutmeg Conservatory of Dance in Connecticut where she studied
with Sharon
E. Dante, Alexei Tchernichov, Eleanor D’Antuono, Scott Thyberg, and Victoria
Mazzerelli. After moving to New York City, she continued her studies with Elena
Kunikova and Natalya Stavro. Lisa is a co-founder with her husband, Roman Baca,
of the Exit 12 Dance Company. While with Exit 12 and as a free-lance dancer, she has had the
opportunity to perform at venues such as Lincoln Center, The Ailey Citigroup
Theatre, and SUNY Purchase. She is an experienced teacher for studios in the
tri-state area.
Leila Mahadin is a Teaching Artist with Dancing Classrooms as well as Ballet Ambassadors. She serves as Creative Director and Dance Instructor at the Louise Benes Dance School in Queens and as the Program Director for the American Dance Training Camps. Leila was trained at Ballet Hispanico and the Boston Ballet Summer Program. Her professional performing experience includes principal roles with the Louise Benes Dance Company, spots in various music videos, and a season with New Jersey Nets Dancers.
Karina Teran holds a BFA in dance from the National Dance Institute of her native Ecuador. She has performed with Teatro Centro de Arte in Ecuador, Ballet de Cámera Teatro Municipal in Chile, Ballet for Young Audiences, Staten Island Ballet, South Florida Ballet Theater, Florida Grand Opera, as well as in musical theater production, television commercials, and on cruise ships.
Richard Ye performs with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Ballet for Young Audiences. He has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the Albany Berkshire Ballet among others. Richard also spent seven months aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines. He holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a certificate from the Ailey Dance Certificate program.
Kerry Allen, Loretta Barrett, Ann Cynthia Diamond, Bill Dyszel, Sondra Forsyth